


Peeping Tom Cat

by giggling_bubble



Series: Publishing My Appreciation [7]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Anaphylaxis, F/M, Gardening, Hiking, Hobbies, Identity Reveal, One-Shot, Ruins, allergy, barely made it, bee sting, closing airways, drawing salves, epinephrine, how did you not know, keep up kwami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-16 20:57:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11260848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giggling_bubble/pseuds/giggling_bubble
Summary: Marinette loves gardening. Adrien loves hiking and sight seeing. Coincidentally, and thankfully for Marinette, those two hobbies happen at the same time.





	Peeping Tom Cat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tjikicew](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tjikicew/gifts).



> Another quick story idea, with a reveal, and I hope you like it.

Marinette had an afternoon to herself for the first time in a week. It was summer vacation and she didn't have any obligations; not to her parents, not to Alya, not to an uncompleted design, or anything. This was a date between her and her balcony plants who could use some necessary, and overdue, TLC.

She stuffed a handful of tea bags into her glass jug, filled it with water, and set it out to steep. Nothing like a big glass of sun tea and a cold shower after pulling weeds. Her hands were itching to dig in the dirt and she'd just clipped all her nails down in preparation.

The first plant she was going to tackle today was a large jasmine vine that had decided to take over the railing and threatened to strangle out some neighbors.

"Come here you little bugger," she growled as she took her shears and started snipping the tendrils that had grown tightly around other plants. "I'm going to train you this way so you'll leave those tea roses alone."

* * *

Adrien was sick and tired of his personal trainer constantly complaining about his lack of exercise. 'Sorry, Antoine, but working up a sweat in a room full of half naked guys isn't my cup of tea.' His father demanded he do something to get out of the house. Little did his father know that he was leaving all the time and he just _thought_ he was still locked up in his room.

"I'm going to go on a hike," he announced to Nathalie, "Tell that to Antoine so he'll leave me alone. Let my father know I'm leaving the house. I'm taking the Gorilla and hiking up to Sacre-Coeur."

"I'm sure they'll both be pleased to hear it. Good day, Adrien."

With that, he hitched his pack more securely over his shoulders and marched out of the house. Gorilla was waiting next to the car, in similar hiking attire, but with more of a military feel. He was decked in black; black combat boots, thick black pants with loads of pockets, a utility belt, tight black t-shirt, black denim jacket, sunglasses, rash guards, a bandana hanging down his neck, and a boonie hat on top. His pack was presumably in the car.

"Ready?" he asked.

Gorilla grunted once. Then he jerked his head upwards to ask, "You?"

"Yeah, I think so. I have about ten kilos of water."

Gorilla appeared relieved when he jerked his head towards the sedan. Adrien had assured him, when he asked to go hiking, that he wouldn't be stupid and come prepared.

* * *

Marinette carried her overly full watering can towards her first set of plants that she'd just finished weeding and pruning. There was a good sized puddle of rapidly evaporating water where her first attempt to tote water over had failed. That resulted in a new rash on her knee and a dented tin can.

"Let's try that again," she set her jaw and marched determinedly over to the first large green planter. This was the one with the jasmine vine. "Now you behave for me, won't you?" It was quickly followed by a chuckle and head shake, "Yeah, right. That's like telling a butterfly to stay or Chat Noir not to pun. Lord help me." Marinette felt like she could see the vines coming undone and traveling back to strangle the others right in front of her eyes. She could have sworn she'd tied them up better the first time, but 'ah, well, c'est la vie.'

Her phone rang just as she emptied her watering can. "Hello! This is Marinette."

"Hey, girl. How is your gardening day working out?"

"It was going well until I was interrupted," she said playfully sullen.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll let you go. I just wondered what you were doing tomorrow?"

"I _had_ planned on sleeping in."

Alya sighed dejectedly, "Okay then. I guess I won't invite you out to the firework display tomorrow. There's going to be an exhibition at the Eiffel...and _Adrien_ is coming."

"Adrien?!" Marinette gushed.

"Yes, golden boy, your dream supreme, served up on a silver platter by yours truly; with some help from Nino. Okay, all made possible by Nino, but I had the idea to ask him."

"Count me in," she exclaimed.

"Great! I'll let Nino know. We got the date rate."

"Date rate?"

"Oh, uh, you get a discount if you come with a date. It's a picnic of sorts."

"Alya...?!" Marinette warned, "What do you mean 'of sorts.'"

"There might be a pair rate that comes with a picnic basket packed for two. It's no big deal. You are paired with Adrien and I'll be paired with Nino."

"But you're Nino's girlfriend!"

"Yeah, and grass is green, the sun is yellow, and you're Adrien's date for tomorrow. He'll be thrilled to hear we found someone for him. He was afraid of third wheeling it."

"Oh, my God, Alya. Why do I let you do this to me," she babbled, "A date with Adrien?" Her hand came up to rest on her swiftly reddening cheek. This was an opportunity she had always hoped for, but never believed would happen. It _was_ happening.

"It doesn't have to be a date-date. You can go as friends."

"Yeah..."

"Marinette?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm losing you to fantasies, aren't I?"

"What?"

"I'll let you go," Alya chuckled, "It seems like I've exceeded Marinette 1.0 processing capacity."

"Uh-huh," she murmured.

"Bye, girl."

"B-bye."

Marinette practically danced across the balcony and flopped into her lounger, "I can't believe it!" she squealed into her hands, "A date with Adrien! AHHH!!"

* * *

Adrien left Gorilla at the base of the cathedral to secure the perimeter and maintain a vigilant eye on the pedestrians in the area while Adrien hiked to the top and took a 'tour' of the cathedral. If by external view made possible by one kwami Plagg, cat extraordinaire.

He transformed and pulled a telescope out of his bag. This was an opportunity to get some prime day-time sight seeing in. He couldn't very well go zipping across the city at the moment, in case his babysitter decided to come looking, but with a trusty telescope he could view some pretty amazing sun-kissed sights.

The golden cylinder scanned the horizon. Adrien could see Nino's apartment building in the distance. He could see his house, the Grand Paris hotel, and his school.  It scanned a little further and he found Tom and Sabine's Boulangerie and Patisserie. A smile graced his face as he spied Marinette on her balcony. She was precariously looking over the edge of her balcony watering flowers.

Adrien frowned. Marinette was clumsy. That was entirely too dangerous for a regular sure-footed person and especially so for her. He gulped when he saw her sling her leg over the side and dangle herself over. "Marinette, what the hell?!" he whispered, "That's so dangerous. Go back, go back, go ba--SHIT!" he exclaimed as he saw her tumble.

Without a backwards glance, Chat vaulted towards the bakery. Marinette had plummeted over the edge of her balcony.

* * *

Marinette was trying to water the hanging box of nasturtiums she had settled just below a box of geraniums. They were layered in a way that the nasturtiums were below and a little farther out from the wall. The watering can could reach the geraniums, but the nasturtiums were a little more tricky.

She stood up on the rail and leaned with the watering can and tipped it into the geraniums. Some of the water sloshed out and managed to land in the nasturtium box, but not nearly enough to be sufficient. Without a second's hesitation, she slung her leg over the rail and leaned down to water the lower planter. As she was leaning forward she felt a sharp prick. It was instantaneously painful and within seconds she was having trouble breathing. In seconds, the world spun and went black.

* * *

Chat arrived at the bakery and found an unconscious Marinette at the base of the building. She was breathing, but it was labored. Her lips were swollen and her eyes puffy.

"Someone call 112!!! PLEASE!! Quickly!" Chat exclaimed. A small crowd of people showed up to watch him as he leaned over her unconscious form. He could already see from the odd angle that her leg was twisted under her that it was broken. Her most pressing danger, however, was the obvious anaphylaxis. From his pack he retrieved a vial and a syringe. It was his epinephrine for an allergic reaction because Adrien did have a rather severe feather allergy. Should he inhale them it could be dire without epi. He gave her an injection and could immediately hear her breathing resume, less labored. She was still unconscious, however.

It was time to look for what he only assumed was a bee sting. Thankfully, logic won out as he found a stinger, in her swollen forearm, that was still pulsing. He quickly plucked it out and pulled out a little tub of dark green-black gunk. It was a drawing salve he had for splinters and whatnot, but he applied to her giant welt.

"Come on, princess. Stay with me. The ambulance is coming." He was afraid to touch her too much without knowing the extent of her injuries.

When the emergency personnel arrived he passed her off to them and watched them load her up into the ambulance. He gave them a statement of what he saw happen, gave them the stinger he found, and how much epi he gave her.

Afterwards, teary eyed and panicked, he returned to Sacre-Coeur. He stopped by a bathroom to clean himself up and drop his transformation. As Adrien, he'd have to put his game face on so the Gorilla wouldn't suspect anything had transpired. He was just taking a hike and touring the cathedral. Time to get home and hide out in his room so he can sneak out to check on Marinette.

He checked his cell phone and saw a text from Nino.

**Nino: Hey, dude, Marinette's coming as your date tomorrow. See you there!**

_We'll see about that._ Nino was obviously unaware that said date just took a tumble off of a three story building and was currently in the hospital with unknown injuries.

* * *

BEEP

_My head is killing me._

BEEP

_Where the hell am I? I was watering nasturtiums._

BEEP

_There was a sharp sting and then nothing._

BEEP

_What is that beeping sound?_

BEEP

_Something is on my face and my finger. Is there something on my arm._

BEEP

Marinette opened her eyes to blindingly white light and the smell of alcohol. Ick.

Suddenly there was a face in front of her own.

"Chat?! What are you doing here?"

His concerned eyes, glassy with extra moisture, crinkled as a smile lit up his face, "Afternoon, beautiful."

"Don't you mean princess?" she smirked.

"How about my beautiful princess?" he asked and placed a gentle kiss to her hand.

At that moment, Marinette realized there was an IV in her arm, an oximeter on her finger, and a cannula in her nose. Then as she scanned down she could see a large bubble cast on her leg from the knee down.

"You're such a flirty kitty," she grinned. Then more somber, "You were the one who found me, weren't you?"

He nodded silently.

"I'm sorry," she frowned, "I don't even know what happened."

"You got stung by a honey bee," he blurted, "You are deathly allergic."

"What?! I am?"

"You went into anaphylactic shock and fell."

"Oh, God," she reached up with her left hand and rubbed her forehead, "I had a bad feeling when I climbed over to water those nasturtiums."

"Nast-what?"

"Nasturtiums," she repeated, "They're flowers. I grow them and eat them in salad."

"Why would you do it, Marinette?"

Oh, no. She was in trouble. He'd called her Marinette which meant serious Chat. "Do what?"

"You know you're a bit on the clumsy side," putting it nicely, "Why would you climb over the railing?"

That was it. He was disappointed in her. A frown tugged at the corners of her lips; she was disappointed, too. It was a dumb mistake. "I don't know. I just couldn't quite reach them and thought it would give me better leverage."

He squeezed her hand, "Promise me you won't do that again." She'd never seen the soft concern on his face before; as Marinette or Ladybug. Chat had been worried and he cared for her. It was sweet and she was touched.

"Chat..." she sighed, "I'll _try_ not to."

"Marinette..." The scolding lilt to his voice was telling. He wasn't letting this go.

It wouldn't be a lie if she promised as Marinette and watered them as Ladybug, right? Just a little stretch. "Fine," with a resigned sigh she nodded resolutely, "I, Marinette, promise not to climb over the railing to water the nasturtiums."

His eyes sparkled, "Meow that wasn't so hard meow, was it?"

She rolled her eyes, but smiled. This was the side of Chat she liked to see. A serious kitty is a sad kitty and that would never do.

Just then, her doctor entered.

"Good afternoon, Chat Noir. Thank you for checking in on our luckiest patient," he smiled, "Fell nearly four stories and has only the single broken bone. No concussion, additional lacerations other than a skinned knee, and only a few contusions. Looks like you'll be free to go tonight. We will need to fit you for a cast tomorrow, judging by the rate the swelling is going down."

Marinette grimaced, "I'll be here." There was no way she'd show how upset she was about missing out on the event tomorrow with her friends; especially not in front of Chat. This was just another one of those moments when luck wasn't on her side. _Sigh._

Tikki made sure Marinette knew that Ladybug wasn't off the table if she still wanted to make an appearance. "You'll be a little slower, because of the pain, but the transformation should support the bones just as effectively as a cast. If not more so, actually, and heal faster. The cast will be absorbed and then reappear when you return."

* * *

Alya growled, "You can still come with us, girl! You'll be on crutches, right? We might not be able to go to the picnic area, but we could all hang out by the river."

"That would just ruin your date with Nino and I don't want to do that to you."

"I don't want to hear it. You're going. If you don't go then I'm not going to go. End of."

"Alya!" she whined, "You're being so unfair. It is mortifying enough that I'm wearing this giant plaster cast on my leg and then another embarrassment entirely that I might hinder Adrien's fun thanks to my condition."

"No, no, no, girl, he's cool with it. He called Nino this morning to make sure you were still coming."

"He did?" Hope springs eternal. Her heart beat picked up and soared in her chest.

"Yes! Now come on and get ready to go. You have to come with us."

"Okay," she set her jaw determinedly and lifted herself off of her bed. The crutches were a bit cumbersome, but she'd manage. Plus, there was the issue of getting dressed. Oy, why did she agree to this? "I'll get dressed and then meet you downstairs."

"Uh, about that," Alya drawled, "I already sent Adrien to get you."

"You WHAT?!" her eye twitched in irritation. She was _not_ ready for this.

"Come on. He has a car and he literally lives right next to you. Listen, I love you, but you need to see the logic of this decision."

Audibly sighing, "All right. I can do it. I've got this."

"You do. I have faith in you! I'm going to let you go so you can get dressed."

"Thanks, Alya."

No sooner had Marinette finagled her leg into her shorts did the call from her mother rise through her trap door, "Marinette, your friend is here to pick you up."

"Coming, maman!" With a last look in the mirror, applying an additional layer of lip gloss, she popped them together a few times and flew down the stairs. Well...tried. Marinette had the crutches under her arm and moved at a snail's pace trying to get down the stairs. "It'll be just be a minute."

"Here, allow me." Suddenly, she was staring into the deep green eyes of Adrien Agreste, his voice soft and presence unexpected.

Marinette choked on the breath she'd attempted to take and squeaked, "Oh. Okay. You don't have to. I can make it."

"Shush, Mari. I've got it," he flashed his model smile. Her knees collapsed out from under her just as he was reaching out to help. Luckily, it looked like she was tripping when she'd really just almost swooned. His hands slipped around her and caught her on the way down. "Careful there, princess. Can't have you falling down the stairs and taking me with you. I'd be out of a job," he chuckled. Then he smirked, "On second thought, let's try that again and trip me."

"Adrien," she scolded.

He grinned in a very un-Adrien-like way that made her bust up laughing.

"Shut up," she smirked, "You could fall down the stairs and still look ten times better than the rest of us mere mortals."

He raised an eyebrow, "I believe math is not your strong suit, Marinette. I'm looking at you now and that would be impossible."

She huffed and rolled her eyes, begging to her face not to blush, "Come on."

As he helped her limp across the living room, towards the front door, Sabine watched on with glistening eyes, "You two look so cute together." She ran to retrieve her camera and documented his aid of a hopping Marinette. They were both all giggles. Adrien finding her inability to walk on the regular was enough to provide material for teasing.

"You're doing great, Mari! I think you walk better now than you did before. You should break your leg more often," he chuckled and dodged her elbow.

She was a bunch of nervous giggles each time she'd hobble into him and he'd catch her under the arms. "WHOOPS!" followed by both of them cackling.

Finally, down at the car, he got her situated inside and ran to the other door so she wouldn't have to climb across the seat.

"To the plaza!" he called to the Gorilla. Then he glanced over to Marinette, equally as breathless as he was, "That was fun."

She just giggled and nodded.

* * *

They arrived to find Alya and Nino waving them over, "I almost thought you guys weren't going to show up."

Nino snickered, "No lie, bro, she was getting ready to hunt you guys down." He leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially, "Like I was scared for you."

Marinette laughed, "That's Alya for you." She checked her watch and grimaced, "You guys should all head up the hill. The show should start soon and dinner will have been served without you."

Alya sighed, "Oh, Marinette, we're going to stay down here with you."

"NO!" she cried, "You can't. You have to go. You can't let me keep you from enjoying tonight. If you're not going to go up there then I'm leaving. I could just wait here until you're done."

Adrien stopped her rambling by placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "I think I have an idea." Marinette squeaked as he leaned down and swept her up into his arms. That is how Marinette found herself being cradle carried by one Adrien Agreste up to the picnic area.

"Put me down," she grinned as she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from slipping.

"I would if you didn't look so happy about it," he chuckled.

She buried her now vibrantly flushed cheeks into his neck and sighed heavily. Her head shook as if to say 'I can't believe this,' but her heart beat like there was no tomorrow.

Suddenly, they stopped walking. "I think this is us," he exclaimed. Nino and Alya sat down on a lilac colored blanket next to their aquamarine one. Adrien didn't bother to set her down. Instead, he sat down and draped her across his legs.

"Uh, Adrien..."

"Hmm?" he glanced to her innocently. "Oh!" her realized she was wondering why she was on his lap, "I thought it might be more comfortable if your knee wasn't hyper-extended by sitting on the ground. That cast will make it hard to keep a bend in your knee."

"Oh," she nodded, "Th-that makes sense." Her face was instantly on fire.

A basket was delivered to their blanket and the atmosphere was more intimate than either of them had anticipated. There was a bottle of wine, a corkscrew, two glasses, a single baked pasta dish, two forks, and a generous slice of apple pie.

Marinette felt Adrien drape his arms loosely around her waist. He held her steady while she pulled the contents out of the basket and set it up for them.

"I'm glad you're okay," he whispered.

Marinette glanced over to Adrien and found him staring intensely at her, "Uh, th-thanks, Adrien."

"Want to tell me how it happened?"

She shrugged, "I was watering flowers and got stung by a bee. I ended up falling."

Adrien laid his forehead on her shoulder and shook his head, "I can't believe you didn't know you were allergic to bees."

They both tensed. Adrien realized his mistake just as Marinette realized what he'd just said.

"YOU!?" she exclaimed in shock.

His eyes widened and he put his hand over her mouth. "Mari, I can explain," he pleaded.

She grabbed his wrist, to remove his hand, and leaned in to press her lips firmly to his. It was a single fluid movement that caught him quite off guard. It was Adrien's turn to squeak and Marinette reveled in it.

They enthusiastically dove into this first kiss, their bodies naturally gravitating towards each other, and their hands winding up into the other's hair. The dam just broke. Now they both knew how the other felt and it was euphoric.

"WHOO!!!" Alya cheered from the next blanket over.

"Yeah, buddy, get some," Nino chuckled.

It wasn't the best of circumstances, but Adrien and Marinette would consider this the perfect first date because they finally found each other.

It was followed closely by the second, not-so-perfect date, in which Chat took her to the top of the Eiffel Tower. That is where she proceeded to launch from the top, revealing herself by transforming in mid-air. Once she managed to calm the shocked, and thoroughly displeased Chat, he couldn't stop smiling. His lack of a sense of humor was followed quickly by elation.

It was the beginning of a lifelong relationship, between two partners, that had always been madly in love with each other. They just didn't know it.


End file.
